The present invention relates to electrical and especially hydraulic conduit termination protectors for excluding contamination when such conductors are disconnected from devices with which they operate.
Traditional protective devices for unconnected conduit terminations include caps that are made of a resilient material and formed for mating with particular structure of such terminations. In some cases, such caps are threaded for threaded engagement with a threaded member of the termination; in other cases, the caps are formed to have an interference fit within or about a portion of the termination. It will be understood that the terminations of electrical conduit are commonly called xe2x80x9ccable connectorsxe2x80x9d and/or xe2x80x9ccable endsxe2x80x9d, whereas the terminations of hydraulic conduit (or lines) are commonly called xe2x80x9cdisconnect fittingsxe2x80x9d. These devices exhibit a number of disadvantages, including one or more of the following:
1. They are ineffective in that portions of the termination (and of the conduit adjacent to the termination) are not covered or otherwise protected from damage or contamination;
2. They have limited application in that they must be configured to have threaded engagement or have an interference fit with particular termination surfaces;
3. They are difficult to install, particularly under adverse conditions such as in poor lighting;
4. They are ineffective in that they can easily be contaminated during storage or use (by hydraulic fluid and/or dirt, for example), a termination having the device subsequently applied being subjected to contamination thereby (particularly when a different fluid is to be carried in the subsequent use);
5. The user would be required to maintain a large inventory of variously sized threaded fittings and/or caps;
6. There would be substantially more guesswork involved trying to size the correct fitting or cap to the desired conduit termination; and
7. Tooling would be needed for installation and/or removal of press fit and threaded caps, the tooling being likely to cause damage to the threads, sealing face, and/or O ring on hydraulic conduit ends, as well as damage to fragile components of electric plug ends.
Thus there is a need for a conduit termination protector that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
The present invention meets this need by providing a conduit termination protector and method that is particularly effective with a wide variety variously sized electrical and hydraulic terminations. In one aspect of the invention, a protector device for a conduit termination that is attached at an extremity of a conduit, includes a flexible sheet member forming a body having a fluid-tight cavity therein, the body having a neck portion forming a singular opening of the cavity for receiving the conduit termination; and a band member supported relative to the body and having means formed therein for securing the band member about the neck portion in the form of a closed loop for sealingly closing the neck portion onto the conduit when the termination is inserted into the cavity, whereby at least a portion of the conduit termination is sealingly enclosed within the cavity.
Preferably at least a first portion of the sheet member is transparent for visual identification of the conduit termination and any other matter. Preferably the device also has an opaque marking surfacing coating on a second portion only of the sheet member for receiving written indicia of device usage, which can advantageously include identification of the conduit on which the device is used. A third portion only of the outer surface of the sheet member can be a colored identification region for indicating intended use of the device, the second and third portions together being outside of the first portion.
The band member can be provided by a tie strap having a buckle for adjustably holding and securing a portion of the band member. Preferably the device has a sleeve member on the body for receiving a portion of the band member to be assembled with the body prior to use. Preferably the tie strap has a first enlargement, the sleeve member being adapted for hindering passage of the first enlargement therethrough for resisting unwanted separation of the tie strap from the body. The buckle can form the first enlargement, the band member also being formed with a second enlargement, the tie strap being retained by the sleeve member being located between the enlargements. Preferably the sleeve member extends proximate a portion of the opening for avoiding loose outward projection of neck portions adjacent to the opening that would otherwise tend to collect contaminants.
The band member can be elastically stretchable, the means for securing including the band member being formed as a closed loop and having a relaxed condition, a stretched condition for permitting insertion of the conduit termination into the cavity, and an intermediate condition for securing the neck portion on the conduit. The means for securing can further include a sleeve member extending proximate a portion of the opening, the band member extending through the sleeve member and being retained thereby. The body can be adapted for assuming a flattened condition when the conduit termination is not within the cavity, the body in the flattened condition having a body width, the neck portion having a neck width being not more than 30 percent of the body width in the relaxed condition of the band member.
The body in its flattened condition can have a length from the opening to the closed extremity and a width between opposite side edges thereof, preferably having a rounded contour between the closed extremity and the side edges for avoiding unwanted trapping of liquids following use. The rounded contour preferably has a radius being not less than 25 percent of the width of the body in its flattened condition. The width of the body in its flattened condition is typically between 1 inch and 6 inches, the sheet member being formed of a polymer having a preferred thickness of between 0.001 inch and 0.008 inch. The polymer can be polyethylene. Preferably, when there is a likelihood of exposure to harmful materials such as petroleum products, the thickness of the polymer is at least 0.003 inch.
In another aspect of the invention, a method for protecting a conduit termination that is attached at an extremity of a conduit, includes:
(a) providing a device including a flexible bag having a singular opening, and a band member supported adjacent the opening;
(b) inserting at least a portion of the conduit termination through the opening beyond the band member; and
(c) securing the band member about the bag member for sealingly holding the termination portion within the cavity.
The method can further include marking an identification of the conduit termination on the device.